PCs and PlayStations, Photoshop and Wi-Fi: We can’t live without these tech tools – and the better we know how to use them, the better we’ll live. A tweak here and a mod there – now that’s what we call DIY.

So here’s your instruction manual, your go-to How To guide for making the most of your digital life. Have a hunch your digicam is good for more than mere snapshots? Follow our rule of thirds (and a few other hints) and you’ll be a Flickr superstar. Wanna break up with your cell phone carrier? With our surefire tactics, they’ll beg you to leave.

But think beyond software and gadgets. Hacking is a frame of mind – a sensibility, not a skill set. If you gotta have tickets to the big concert, we’ll show you how to outsmart Ticketmaster. And if your boss hates you, we’ll teach you how to suck up so he’ll be your best friend forever.

Kiss Default mode good-bye – and step up to the tweaked-out, souped-up, overclocked life you crave.